Texas A&M volleyball enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed for its second postseason appearance in as many years under coach Jamie Morrison. Morrison led the Aggies to a 19-7 regular season, going 10-6 in SEC play for A&M’s first 10-win performance in conference action since 2019.
The Aggies have been successful thanks to the efforts of junior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky, who has had an outstanding season.. The Sugar Land native finished the regular season with 419 kills and accumulated 475.5 total points for the Maroon and White. After a season-ending injury her freshman year, Lednicky has bounced back to lead the Aggies in kills for two straight seasons.
You can’t highlight A&M at the net without mentioning junior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, who has propelled this team on both sides of the ball. The Flower Mound product ended the regular season with 208 kills and was one of two Aggies to hit over .300. Not only is Cos-Okpalla a threat on offense, but she totaled 143 blocks for four weekly SEC honors this season.
After an impressive regular season, Lednicky and Cos-Okpalla landed on the All-SEC First Team, marking Lednicky’s third consecutive All-SEC honor and Cos-Okpalla’s much-deserved first. With these two dominating at the net, the Aggies have a chance to make it far in the NCAA Tournament.
A&M will head to Tempe, Arizona at 5:30 p.m. Friday to kick off the postseason against 20-10 Colorado State, who is currently on a four-game winning streak. The Rams are led by redshirt senior opposite hitter Malaya Jones, who has a whopping 541 kills on the season with a hitting percentage of .313.
Jones also secured the Mountain West Player of the Year accolade. Colorado State is heading into the tournament on a high note after winning the Mountain West Conference for the first time since 2011.
Both teams are looking to extend their postseason to the second round, where they’ll face the winner of No. 3-seed Arizona State and New Hampshire, but it all comes down to who plays a better offense. With Lednicky and CSU’s Jones both being opposite hitters, both teams must have a strong block on the outside to shut down these key players.
The Aggies’ matchup with the Rams will stream on ESPN+. The potential second-round game against the Sun Devils or Wildcats will be at 7 p.m. Saturday.
